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Auto alternatives for the 21st centuryTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:55:27 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2Saab In Troubled Water Againhttp://www.hybridcars.com/saab-in-troubled-water-again/
http://www.hybridcars.com/saab-in-troubled-water-again/#commentsMon, 01 Sep 2014 04:49:31 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=186025Saab has been going through rough water and is not yet out of trouble. Its EV-ambitious owner, National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, has financial trouble. The Board of Directors of National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, the owners of Saab, last Thursday applied for a reorganization. This process, in Sweden, is more or less the equivalent […]

]]>Saab has been going through rough water and is not yet out of trouble. Its EV-ambitious owner, National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, has financial trouble.

The Board of Directors of National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, the owners of Saab, last Thursday applied for a reorganization.

This process, in Sweden, is more or less the equivalent of Chapter 11 in the U.S.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS) said it has decided to go through this process to create more time for the ongoing negotiations. The application was submitted to the district court in Vänersborg, Sweden.

“The tripartite negotiations we have with two global vehicle manufacturers are still progressing, but are complex and have taken more time than we predicted. We need additional time to complete the negotiations and reach an agreement. Therefore, we apply for a reorganization. We intend to fully pay our debts to our suppliers”, said Nevs’ President Mattias Bergman.

Nevs explained it has about 400 suppliers of direct materials and 500 suppliers of indirect materials. The vast majority of these have chosen to await the outcome of the ongoing negotiations, but some creditors have filed applications for an order to pay at the Swedish Enforcement Authority.

Nevs added that the upcoming activities from the Enforcement Authority may involve mandatory sale of assets that are supposed to be included in Nevs’ agreement with above mentioned vehicle manufacturers. The company stated loss of such assets could obstruct finalizing a contract with them so to get more time to complete the negotiations, Nevs filed for said reorganization.

The District court of Vänersborg, Sweden approved August 29 the application for reorganization from National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB.

The District court has appointed Mr. Lars Eric Gustafsson, Attorney at Hamilton law firm in Stockholm, as administrator during the reorganization period; this attorney was originally proposed by Nevs.

Recently, and likely to appease rumors about its financial trouble, Nevs revealed a prototype EV version it created based on a Saab.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/saab-in-troubled-water-again/feed/0NEVS Produces Saab 9-3 EV Prototypeshttp://www.hybridcars.com/nevs-produces-saab-9-3-ev-prototypes/
http://www.hybridcars.com/nevs-produces-saab-9-3-ev-prototypes/#commentsThu, 21 Aug 2014 04:41:18 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=182169National Electric Vehicle Sweden presented in Trollhättan a prototype EV based on the Saab 9-3. The prototype is a modified Saab 9-3 Aero Sedan; the batteries are placed under the floor, keeping the full interior space as well as the luggage compartment intact, stated National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), making the vehicle as practical as […]

]]>National Electric Vehicle Sweden presented in Trollhättan a prototype EV based on the Saab 9-3.

The prototype is a modified Saab 9-3 Aero Sedan; the batteries are placed under the floor, keeping the full interior space as well as the luggage compartment intact, stated National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), making the vehicle as practical as a regular Saab 9-3.

These prototype, said NEVS, have been produced to enhance the understanding of EVs and their production within the company as well as serve as a reference for specification of future production models.

NEVS added the driving-experience is preserved in the EV prototype, helped by its low center of gravity and a 50/50 weight distribution.

“We are happy to present the result of NEVS engineering into a real Saab EV product”, said Stig Nodin, Vice President Engineering and Product Development. “The Saab cars’ well-known performance and safety is maintained and we foresee a very good product for the market. When we developed the Saab 9-3 Aero Sedan Model Year 14, we focused on enhancing the driving experience, safety and quality. And the starting point for our development of the Electric Vehicle project was to maintain all the good attributes and characteristics.”

The car shown in Trollhättan yesterday is one of a first prototype series of cars and was produced in the Trollhättan plant in May, said NEVS.

The car is equipped with lithium-ion batteries from Beijing National Battery Technology, a company within the Chinese group of green tech companies owned by Kai Johan Jiang’s company National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd. NEVS did not specify the size of the batteries, but did say the electric motor is a 100 kilowatt unit.

The range for this prototype series of cars has been stated by NEVS at approximately 125 miles, with a 0-60 mph sprint taking 10 seconds and maximum speed of 75 mph.

The next steps with these prototypes is to be used as a test bench for technical development and to verify the manufacturing setup for series production.

Interestingly, NEVS released information about these prototypes a week after having to send out a press release to reassure the business community that while it is having financial challenges, it is not going bankrupt. Following is the content of the August 13 release:

Nevs hereby clarify that the company is not insolvent. The company does not have enough liquid cash as today to pay all outstanding debt but Nevs’ assets are larger than its debt. Nevs today cannot say exactly when, but Nevs’ suppliers will get paid.

During the summer, the dialogues with the two major vehicle manufacturers have continued and developed in a positive direction. It is a thorough evaluation process that is still ongoing, and the discussions have not been finalized yet.

After the funding is secured, and that Nevs business plan is updated together with its new partners, Nevs will be able to make the decision on when the Trollhattan factory can resume its production.

The company whose representative filed a bankruptcy petition has informed Nevs today that they will withdraw the case after the information they have got regarding the ongoing dialogues.

The jury is still out as to whether NEVS will manage to produce and sell Saab EVs.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/nevs-produces-saab-9-3-ev-prototypes/feed/0HyFive Partners With BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, And Toyotahttp://www.hybridcars.com/hyfive-partners-with-bmw-daimler-honda-hyundai-and-toyota/
http://www.hybridcars.com/hyfive-partners-with-bmw-daimler-honda-hyundai-and-toyota/#commentsTue, 08 Apr 2014 04:08:58 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=139025As part of the HyFive project, five manufacturers have agreed to deploy a total of 110 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Europe with the goal of developing new clusters of hydrogen refueling stations. Leading motor manufacturers, hydrogen fuel suppliers, the Mayor of London’s Office and energy consultancies from around the globe are signing up, said […]

]]>As part of the HyFive project, five manufacturers have agreed to deploy a total of 110 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Europe with the goal of developing new clusters of hydrogen refueling stations.

Leading motor manufacturers, hydrogen fuel suppliers, the Mayor of London’s Office and energy consultancies from around the globe are signing up, said the HyFive project.

HyFive stands for Hydrogen For Innovative Vehicles.

The initial European locations will be Bolzano, Copenhagen, Innsbruck, London, Munich and Stuttgart.

Other locations are being sought for three new hydrogen stations in London, one in Aarhus and in Odense (Denmark) and one in Innsbruck (Austria). They are expected to be operational by 2015, by which time some of the manufacturers in the partnership will have started to put hydrogen fuelled cars on sale in some European markets.

The Mayor of London’s Office is coordinating the £31 million project, which has been signed by BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota as well as hydrogen fuel companies including Air Products, Copenhagen Hydrogen Network, ITM Power, Linde and OMV. Other signatories include Element Energy, PE INTERNATIONAL, the Institute for Innovative Technology and the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.

HyFive said the motor manufacturers who are part of this project are working on developing and demonstrating hydrogen powered fuel cell cars. The prospect of these becoming more widely available is now seen as increasingly likely as the currently high cost of the technology falls and hydrogen powered vehicles become affordable. Supporters of the new technology point to the rapid re-fuelling times for hydrogen cars and their potential to cover over four hundred miles before needing to be re-fuelled. They also believe that fuel cells will have the ability to be scaled up to run larger vehicles such as buses or trucks.

“To sell this technology we need to show Londoners and the wider world that it is not science fiction,” said the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. “By building the vehicles and the filling stations and allowing people to kick the tires we will be able to demonstrate that hydrogen is a viable option and that London is at the forefront of efforts to make it so.”

Hydrogen infrastructure will be built across several countries as part of this European project. Filling stations will be built and operated in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Italy, as well as in London. HyFive added an advantage for the new technology is that these stations will share internationally agreed fuel and re-fuelling standards. All of the partners in the project see the initial investment to build small clusters of stations as key to gaining the research knowledge that will demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuelled vehicles.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/hyfive-partners-with-bmw-daimler-honda-hyundai-and-toyota/feed/0VW e-up! EV Showcased In Videohttp://www.hybridcars.com/vw-e-up-ev-showcased-in-video/
http://www.hybridcars.com/vw-e-up-ev-showcased-in-video/#commentsMon, 23 Dec 2013 17:03:27 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=106314As Volkswagen prepares the January launch its first electric vehicle, the e-up! city car, it also prepared a whimsical video showcasing e-mobility. Called “The streets sound different. e-mobility by Volkswagen,” the video takes a look at the advantages of electric vehicles, which usually move through the streets emission-free and almost silently. With a twist of […]

]]>As Volkswagen prepares the January launch its first electric vehicle, the e-up! city car, it also prepared a whimsical video showcasing e-mobility.

Called “The streets sound different. e-mobility by Volkswagen,” the video takes a look at the advantages of electric vehicles, which usually move through the streets emission-free and almost silently.

With a twist of humor, Volkswagen’s e-up! city car was fitted with hidden speakers as it made its way through the Swedish capital of Stockholm. VW said the vocalist and beatbox artist Fatih Sahin surprised passersby from the rear seat of the e-up! with his daffy imitations of driving noise.

VW added the drive through Stockholm triggered a great deal of attention from amazed people who heard and saw the car. Buskers spontaneously accompanied the e-up! on its journey with their guitars and flutes, adding to the relaxed atmosphere.

As can also be seen in the video, people in the streets turned their heads in surprise and pulled out their smartphones to record the unusual event in video clips and photos.

Volkswagen made sure the reaction in Sweden to e-up!’s journey would be filmed.

The film was produced by the DDB Tribal interactive agency. VW added the creative minds were inspired by Think Blue, Volkswagen’s approach to ecological sustainability.

]]>Volvo will send 100 self-driving cars on public roads in everyday driving conditions around the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

These Volvo vehicles will be part of the project ‘Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility’, a joint initiative between Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg.

Endorsed by the Swedish government, Volvo said the aim of the project is to pinpoint the societal benefits of autonomous driving and position Sweden and Volvo Cars as leaders in the development of future mobility.

“Autonomous vehicles are an integrated part of Volvo Cars’ as well as the Swedish government’s vision of zero traffic fatalities. This public pilot represents an important step towards this goal,” says Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Car Group. “It will give us an insight into the technological challenges at the same time as we get valuable feedback from real customers driving on public roads.”

Volvo added the pilot project will involve self-driving cars using approximately 50 kilometers of selected roads in and around Gothenburg; these roads are typical commuter arteries and include highway conditions and bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“Our aim is for the car to be able to handle all possible traffic scenarios by itself, including leaving the traffic flow and finding a safe ‘harbour’ if the driver for any reason is unable to regain control,” explained Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Group.

Volvo said the ‘Drive Me’ project will focus on a number of areas, such as studying how autonomous vehicles bring societal and economic benefits by improving traffic efficiency, the traffic environment and road safety; looking into infrastructure requirements for autonomous driving; identifying typical traffic situations most suitable for autonomous vehicles; evaluating customers’ confidence in autonomous vehicles as well as how surrounding drivers interact with a self-driving car.

Volvo explained the project will start in 2014 with customer research and technology development, as well as the development of a user interface and cloud functionality. The first cars are expected to be on the roads in Gothenburg by 2017.

Autonomous driving will give significant consumer benefits, according to Volvo, and will fundamentally change the way we look at driving cars. As a driver in the future, you will be able to plan your drive with a mix of autonomous and active driving, making your daily journey more efficient.

“The self-driving technology used in the pilot allows you to hand over the driving to the car when the circumstances are appropriate,” said Håkan Samuelsson.

The vehicles in the pilot project will be defined as Highly Autonomous Cars, according to the official definition by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) in Germany. In practical terms this means that the responsibility is handed over to the vehicle, which can handle all driving functions at the driver’s discretion. The driver is expected to be available for occasional control but with a sufficiently comfortable transition time.

“Our approach is based on the principle that autonomously driven cars must be able to move safely in environments with non-autonomous vehicles and unprotected road users,” said Erik Coelingh.

Volvo explained the 100 Volvo cars driven by customers will be new models developed on the company’s upcoming Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). The architecture is prepared for the continuous introduction of new support and safety systems all the way to technologies that enable highly autonomous drive.

The first SPA model to be released will be the next generation Volvo XC90 SUV, which will be introduced in 2014.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/100-autonomous-driving-volvo-to-hit-the-road/feed/0Nano Energy Storage Could Make Conventional Batteries Obsoletehttp://www.hybridcars.com/nano-energy-storage-could-make-conventional-batteries-obsolete/
http://www.hybridcars.com/nano-energy-storage-could-make-conventional-batteries-obsolete/#commentsThu, 17 Oct 2013 16:29:36 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=81873A European Union-funded research project on improving energy storage involving eight major participants including Volvo has developed “revolutionary” lightweight structural energy storage components that could be used in future electrified vehicles. Components are molded from a material consisting of carbon fiber in a polymer resin, nano-structured batteries and super capacitors. The result, says Volvo, is […]

]]>A European Union-funded research project on improving energy storage involving eight major participants including Volvo has developed “revolutionary” lightweight structural energy storage components that could be used in future electrified vehicles.

Components are molded from a material consisting of carbon fiber in a polymer resin, nano-structured batteries and super capacitors. The result, says Volvo, is an eco-friendly and cost-effective structure that stands to substantially cut vehicle weight and volume.

Volvo is already at work with an S80 that uses components made form the material that serve structural functions and replace a conventional battery at the same time. The company says that by completely substituting an electric car’s existing components with the new material, overall vehicle weight could be reduced by more than 15 percent.

“The way it works is reinforced carbon fibers sandwich the new battery and are molded and formed to fit around the car’s frame such as door panels, the trunk lid and wheel bowl,” said the company in a statement.

Volvo further described the process that has led to its special trunk lid and a plenum cover on its experimental S80:

“The carbon fiber laminate is first layered, shaped and then cured in an oven to set and harden,” said the company. “The super capacitors are integrated within the component skin. This material can then be used around the vehicle, replacing existing components, to store and charge energy.”

Recharging can come by way of regenerative braking or plugging into the grid. Energy is then transferred to an electric motor which is discharged as it is used around the car.

Volvo says its “boot lid” that’s lighter and saves volume and weight is a “functioning electrically powered storage component and has the potential to replace the standard batteries seen in today’s cars.”

Similarly, the plenum is being used in place of the “rally bar,” a sturdy structural piece that stabilizes the car in the front, and the start-stop battery.

“This saves more than 50 percent in weight and is powerful enough to supply energy to the car’s 12-volt system,” said Volvo.

The project promises to “makes conventional batteries a thing of the past” and was led by the Imperial College London.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/nano-energy-storage-could-make-conventional-batteries-obsolete/feed/0Volvo Fine-Tunes Design Of Most Models, Including Diesel-Hybrid V60http://www.hybridcars.com/volvo-fine-tunes-design-of-most-models-including-diesel-hybrid-v60/
http://www.hybridcars.com/volvo-fine-tunes-design-of-most-models-including-diesel-hybrid-v60/#commentsWed, 20 Feb 2013 06:02:31 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=53883Volvo reviews its full range of 60, 70 and 80 vehicles with design touch-ups and dynamic improvements. These changes will trickle down to the sole hybrid model of the brand, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid. “This is the most extensive development of existing models in our company’s history. Each of the enhancements is designed around our […]

]]>Volvo reviews its full range of 60, 70 and 80 vehicles with design touch-ups and dynamic improvements.

These changes will trickle down to the sole hybrid model of the brand, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid.

“This is the most extensive development of existing models in our company’s history. Each of the enhancements is designed around our customers’ needs. We have focused on quality and attention to detail in order to give these dynamic models a major boost and sharpen their competitiveness,” said Lex Kerssemakers, senior vice president, Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Car Group. “The S60 and XC60 are our best-selling models in several important markets, and the innovative V60 Plug-in Hybrid has got off to a flying start. We have been listening very carefully to our customers in order to make improvements that ensure that we make these successful cars more attractive.”

Changes have been made to the exterior and interior of the vehicles; for example, the previously visible washer nozzles have been relocated out of sight under the hood; the radar cover has been painted gloss black, which practically makes it disappear in the grille; the chrome frame around the grille has been removed.

Moreover, fine calibration of mechanical components have allowed further savings in fuel consumption.

Following the successful introduction in high-specification “Pure Limited” guise, the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is now available with a full range of colors and specifications, including most of the design and technology upgrades of the standard V60.

“We’ve made the car look more purposeful and dynamic, reflecting its personality. And your every interaction with your car is more intuitive, expressive and customizable,” says Patrik Widerstrand.

The tailgate on the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid still displays the D6 AWD badge. The front wheels are powered by a five-cylinder 2.4-liter turbo diesel engine producing 215 horsepower, all sent through a six-speed automatic transmission.

The rear axle is powered by an electric motor producing 70 horsepower. The electric motor is supplied with power from an 11.2 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack installed under the floor of the load compartment.

The driver selects the required driving mode via three buttons that give the car three entirely different temperaments: Pure, Hybrid or Power.

In Pure mode, the car is powered solely by its electric motor as much as possible. The range is up to 50 kilometers (31 miles).

In Power mode, the technology is optimized to give the car the maximum possible power. The diesel engine and electric motor combine to deliver a total power output of 285 horsepower, for a 0 to 60 acceleration time of less than 6.1 seconds.